Thank you to the many, many people who came to celebrate our 60th anniversary with us! We were thrilled to have so many real estate clients, tenants, business partners, community leaders, and friends of the Hunziker family, our employees and agents present.

Erb Hunziker began building homes in 1952 in partnership with Don Furman under the name of H&F Builders Construction Company. They operated out of the basement of the Hunziker home with a part time secretary and a few hourly employees. The emphasis was on new home construction and land development. Don ran the crew and Erb sold homes and kept the books. Nine lots were developed and six houses were built that first year. In 1954, the real estate brokerage, Hunziker & Furman Realty, was added and in 1955 they moved to 537 Main Street. During 1962/63/64, an average of 75 homes were built and 70 lots were developed. In 1968, the office at 803 24th Street was built. The partnership flourished and soon became the largest developer, builder and real estate company in Ames.

In 1995, Erb and Don decided to go their separate ways. The name changed and moved to its current location at 105 South 16th Street where it houses four (4) separate entities: Hunziker & Associates, Realtors®, Hunziker Property Management, HCS Builders Inc., and Hunziker Land Development. The real estate company expanded outside of Ames with offices in Ankeny (opened in 2003), Boone (opened in 2006) and Nevada (opened in 2007). Today, the real estate company has 35 agents (in the Ames office) and a Support Staff of 7. The property management company oversees 1100 apartments and 20 commercial properties. The construction company builds an average of 50 new homes per year.

The Hunziker Family believes in giving back to the community in a variety of ways including the United Way, the Boys & Girls Club, and Y.S.S.. Erb and Marge Hunziker were major sponsors of the Hunziker Sports Complex, Beloit Children’s Center and the DMAAC School Career Academy designed to help the high school students of Story County. Iowa State University is also a benefactor of Erb and Marge’s generosity: the Marge Hunziker House at Reiman Gardens, the Women’s Hunziker Court at the ISU Sukup basketball practice facility and the small auditorium at the Jacobson Building. Erb Hunziker passed away in April of this year, but his legacy continues within the various Hunziker Companies and the Ames community. The owners, Realtors and staff contribute their time, talent and financial support to help improve the communities in which they live & work.

These recent quotes by market experts make a strong statement about the level of recovery in the U.S. housing market. They also line up with how our local markets have been performing all year, with significant increases in sales and overall reduction in inventory levels.

“Right now the market is the strongest it’s been since the start of the downturn… we expect to see this organic growth sustain and strengthen through the end of the year.”

Our Boone branch office is closed today due to the fire at the Gigglin’ Goat restaurant 2 doors south of our office. The street is currently blocked off.

Call 1-800-765-1733 to be redirected to assistance, or call our agents directly on their cell phones. We sympathize with the owners and employees at the Gigglin’ Goat, as well as our entire community which will feel this loss.

The James H. Andrew Railroad Museum and History Center opened on May 26th. This addition to the Boone & Scenic Valley Rail Road should draw more visitors to the area. A grand opening is scheduled for June 30th.

In keeping with the company philosophy of providing the most up to date information to you, our customers, Hunziker & Associates, REALTORS launched a new website. The new www.HunzikerRealty.com provides multiple ways to search for a home including a map search and mobile site for smartphone users.

Multiple Ways to Search – Do you want to live in a particular neighborhood? Click our Map Search and zoom in to the neighborhood of your choice to what homes are for sale in that vacinity. You can also search by a variety of options from price to number of bedrooms or bathrooms.

Save your Searches – Set up your own Homefinder Account to keep track of homes you find and to be notified of new listings. Like a property and share with your friends via the facebook like button on every home detail page.

Hunziker & Associates, REALTORS is pleased to announce our new special promotion. From now through January 31st, purchase an eligible Hunziker & Associates listing through a participating lender, and receive a rebate of up to $1500 in closing costs!